It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Kristi's bookshelf: december-2015

An Ember in the Ashes

by Sabaa Tahir

tagged: december-2015

Freshwater Road

by Denise Nicholas

tagged: december-2015

What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs

by Richard L. Allington

tagged: december-2015

Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook

by Ellen Potter

tagged: december-2015

White Cat

by Holly Black

tagged: december-2015

Partials

by Dan Wells

tagged: december-2015

Dory Fantasmagory

by Abby Hanlon

tagged: december-2015

Circa Now

by Amber McRee Turner

tagged: december-2015

Roller Girl

by Victoria Jamieson

tagged: december-2015

Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

by Laurie Ann Thompson

tagged: december-2015

Bluebird

by Bob Staake

tagged: december-2015

One Word from Sophia

by Jim Averbeck

tagged: december-2015

Milo Speck, Accidental Agent

by Linda Urban

tagged: december-2015

Red Rising

by Pierce Brown

tagged: december-2015

Two Takes On March

This weekend this thought crossed my mind, "I am so glad it isn't March. I can't believe my writing mojo is still missing. At least I don't feel the guilt and pain every.single.day."

This morning my mom commented on how much she enjoyed reading my blog post yesterday and that she can't wait for March.

Sigh.

It's Monday - What My Students Are Reading

Some rights reserved by FutUndBeidl

It's Monday. It isn't the last Monday of the month so I am not going to share what I'm reading, but I will share some thoughts about reading in my classroom. That isn't even completely accurate. What I want to talk about is regarding students sharing what they've read. 

My teaching about reading has been HUGELY impacted by Donalyn Miller originally via The Book Whisperer. Now, as I make decisions about reading in my classroom, I go back to the underlying principle of teaching students to do things that 'real life' readers do. 

Exhibit A - I now longer have students fill out a weekly reading log. This has been a reality in my classroom for years now. I think of it as 'normal' until I read an article like Gigi McAllister posted for Choice Literacy reminding me that it is still new idea for many. 

The two biggest reasons teachers I know give for using reading logs are because that's the way it has always been done, (but as they say it, or even think it, they realize that isn't a great reason) and to know what students are reading.

I don't know about you, but I have seen plenty of students outside classrooms frantically filling in a week's worth of 'reading' moments before it is due. I even know parents that just sign the whole week when it first comes home. So, does a reading log really show us what a student is reading?

On the flip side, as an adult I have never looked at my watch to note the time I started reading and what page I am on. Have you?

I agree, we need to know what our students are reading. And I can tell you, my students are reading. How do I know? 

I confer with them. Regularly having conversations with students about their writing is a way to gain all kinds of information about them as readers. When a student hasn't read more than a page or two since you last met with them, you know they aren't reading.

I intentionally have not digitized my classroom library's checkout system. I have a very simple system, but it ensures I am part of the process. This gives me the opportunity to have quick chats as a student checks out or returns a book. Sometimes it gives me the opportunity to give some background knowledge. It might also allow for some guidance when a book might be challenging. (I don't tell a student that they can't read it, but let them know that if it is frustrating it could be because the book is challenging for them and I encourage them to come talk with me about it.) Sometimes students have a pattern of frequently choosing books that are not challenging them at all as a reader. I can also help guide the choice of that book, or the next book. These conversations happen at other times as well, but in the moment of actually checking out a book they know I am going to be a part of the process.

While there is no reading log, there is a Reading Challenge. I write down the books I write and I expect my students to do the same. As growing readers they do need some support. The Reading Challenge requires students to read a book a week for every week we are in school. In addition, there are some genre requirements. Many slots are their choice, but there are some specified for realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, biography/autobiography/memoir, information, and picture books.

In addition to the ways I engage with students about what they are reading my students also have the opportunity to share the books they are reading with one another. A few times a week there is a share time at the end of reading where they can talk with a neighbor. About once a week there is a chance to share a book review with the entire class. Now we are moving from oral reviews to written reviews. (I'm launching Bookopolis tomorrow!)

So, no reading logs in my room, but there is lots of student choice and more importantly student love of reading.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

Kristi's bookshelf: November-2015

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

by Daniel James Brown

tagged: november-2015

Behind the Veils of Yemen: How an American Woman Risked Her Life, Family, and Faith to Bring Jesus to Muslim Women

by Audra Grace Shelby

tagged: november-2015

The Little Old Lady Who Struck Lucky Again!

by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

tagged: to-read and november-2015

Girls Like Us

by Gail Giles

tagged: november-2015

Shift

by Jennifer Bradbury

tagged: november-2015 and to-read

Wordless Wednesday

Marking, Commenting, Report Cards - Oh my!

Marking, commenting, report cards, parent/teacher conferences, #gafe summit, virtual day, last minute literacy training, sub plans, and the rest of life. Yup, it is end of term in my world. All of those things are happening in the next handful of days. On top of the normal end of term crazies I am at a new school, working to understand the hows and whys of a new report card. And just for the fun of it, I said 'yes' to presenting at a tech conference this weekend. You moms know that also means prepping meals, making sure laundry is clean, and double checking childcare arrangements in addition to prepping for my presentation, packing, traveling, etc.

To sum it all up, its a bit crazy around here. (Or at least the 'around here' that takes place in my head!) With all of that going on I am still trying to get back into the swing of things with my blogging routine. As I reflected yesterday, it isn't just my writing that isn't getting its due time, it is my reading too. So where has the time gone? I haven't been able to put my finger on the black hole that is sucking it away. I would love to figure it out so I can put a plug in it. I will say that I am not stressed out about it. Over the years I have learned that it all gets accomplished, somehow. 

As I started writing, the list of things I currently on my plate lead to the title of this post. Two weeks ago my six year old daughter watched "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time. As we cuddled on the couch, watching the story unfold, I realize how many lines that are part of our everyday quotes came from this legendary movie. "Lions, and tigers, and bears - oh my!" is just one of the many. Others, like "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!" and "Toto, I've got a feeling we aren't in Kansas anymore" and "We're off to see the Wizard" and "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" and of course, "There's no place like home" are lines we naturally attribute to Dorothy's adventures. But what about, "Going so soon?!" or "Go away or I'll bite you myself!" or "A horse of a different color"? It was fun to watch the movie through my daughters eyes. The next day, when the neighbor boys were shooting various weapons at her she shot back enchanted poppies, to make them go to sleep. I love that "The Wizard of Oz" and all of its ideas and lines can now be a part of our family vernacular.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

October has been rough. I slogged my way through books I felt like I needed to read, found that I didn't enjoy an author I have always enjoyed, and in general had a hard time getting a book into my hands. I read plenty - blogs, student work, news, but not much to show for it here.

October's books...

What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures

by Malcolm Gladwell

All the Light We Cannot See

by Anthony Doerr

Shade's Children

by Garth Nix